Thanks for the Memories

Welcome to our blog! Here you'll find bits and pieces of wisdom learned from cycling 17,000 miles from Alaska to Argentina together as a family. Hope it inspires you to live your dream!
My book about our journey, Changing Gears, is now released! Read a preview here

John was writing up a Christmas letter last night and I wanted to share it here. As we sat around talking about what to write, we kept coming back to the fact that the people we met were, without exception, wonderful, giving people. I know we all hear about all the horrible people out there, but I think it’s important that we focus on the good people all around us. So anyway – thanks to all of you who made our last trip so special, and we are looking forward to meeting even more kind, generous peope on our next trip. Here is John’s letter –

It’s been almost six months since our 9,300-mile North American bicycling odyssey ended on a cold and drizzly day in Guilford, Connecticut. As we look back at the year we spent on the road the memories remain pleasant, pleasant enough to compel us to hit the road again.

Whenever we look at pictures of the trip or read our journal entries, they bring back those ‘little’ moments we’ve long since forgotten; like the time the four of us stayed up half the night stargazing and talking about the universe while stars shot across the sky or the time we ate lunch in the sparse shade of a cardon cactus that towered above us in the desert. Even though these were tiny, seemingly insignificant events, they were the events that made the journey as magical as it was.

Equally as important in making our adventures so special were the people we got to know along the way.Whenever the kids are asked about the best part of the trip their response is inevitably, “the people”.Nancy and I wholeheartedly agree.It was the people who went out of their way who added magic to the journey.They all unselfishly reached out to us in their own unique way and will always be a cherished part of our memories.

About Nancy Sathre-Vogel

After 21 years as a classroom teacher, Nancy Sathre-Vogel finally woke up and realized that life was too short to spend it all with other people's kids. She and her husband quit their jobs and, together with their twin sons, climbed aboard bicycles to see the world. They enjoyed four years cycling as a family - three of them riding from Alaska to Argentina and one exploring the USA and Mexico. Now they are back in Idaho, putting down roots, enjoying life at home, and living a different type of adventure. It's a fairly sure bet that you'll find her either writing on her computer or creating fantastical pieces with the beads she's collected all over the world.